And Then There Was X

From AwardAnnals

Reviews

Amazon.com

All the barking and growling in the world could not detract from the fact that DMX is a troubled, tormented soul. On And Then There Was X, the multiplatinum-selling Dark Man X uses his signature fragmented flow with its singsongy vocal inflections to preach, teach, and reveal. Melodramatic storytelling has always been his shtick, whether it’s tales of robbing liquor stores, plotting violent murders, or teaching shorties the code of the streets. X’s inner conflicts are laid out on “Angel,” a dialogue between himself and his Lord, and his ability to acknowledge different perspectives of a situation (i.e., repercussions) on several songs add depth to his character. The anthemlike “What’s My Name,” with its affirmations “I have no friends” and “I’m not a nice person,” proves that money, fame, and popularity do not translate into happiness for DMX. —Celine Wong

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Hip-hop is a genre notorious for careers that fizzle after strong debuts, a lack of artistic development, and for years to pass between albums. On his third album in just two years, DMX breaks these- -and nearly every other—”rule” of the game: the pre-eminent thug rapper of his time, he includes sensitive, religious poetry in his liner notes; though he sticks with the formula that’s served him so well in the past DMX is a talented songwriter, and his compositions get more interesting—and more subtle—on X; and though he could get nearly any guest star he’d want, DMX eschews even his Ruff Ryder posse pals (except for “D-X-L”, which features the Lox and Drag-On) on 11 guest-less tracks. Ryders uber-producer Swizz Beatz shows up for 4 strong tracks but is nearly matched by Irv Gotti and a pair of largely unknown Ruff Ryders house producers, Shok and P. Killer Trakz. In fact, the only thing conventional about the album is the first track—the eminently skippable, obligatory introductory skit. Start with track two and enjoy. —Randy Silver